February 17, 2003
March 16
___John 3:1-16
Jesus shares the gospel in a nutshell
___By Paul Kenley
___No passage is more familiar to Christians than our text. John 3, and particularly verse 16, has been called "the gospel in a nutshell." Here we find Jesus conveying to a man named Nicodemus the basic fundamentals of entering into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. For that reason the passage is vital to us all.
___The term "born again" was familiarized in the press in the 1970s with the presidential candidacy of Jimmy Carter, a good Baptist who had grown up with the term. It was then adopted into the vernacular as a sort of catch-phrase by far more than just Christian groups.
___The expression stems from this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus and is a term both misused and misunderstood as it has been applied to any kind of renewal. In this conversation between Jesus and a very religious man, we find God offering us far more than just a fresh start. Indeed, he is offering us the free gift of eternal life--and that is truly "good news."
___Who is this Nicodemus?
___Evidence suggests Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee, but also a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. Perhaps an inner void, a spiritual hunger compelled him to risk his reputation for a conversation with this itinerate evangelist who was such a threat to the establishment of his day. Verse 2 suggests Nicodemus approached Jesus "by night," presumably because he did not want to be seen conversing with such a radical, though some believe the nocturnal visit was made for the sake of uninterrupted conversation.
___While John refers to Nicodemus three times in this gospel, no other New Testament writer mentions him at all, though some have speculated he might be the "rich young ruler" in Luke 18. While we do not know for sure if he ever made a commitment to the Lord, John's second mention of him in 7:50-51 seems to present Nicodemus defending Jesus before others of the Pharisees, and in 19:39, we find him assisting Joseph of Arimathea in Jesus' burial, a reality which hardly seems likely had he not been in an ongoing relationship with the Lord.
___An initial confession
___From the outset, Nicodemus makes two important confessions: Jesus is a rabbi, a great teacher; and he has come from God.
___Using language which at first seems to identify him as a follower of Jesus, we have but to read further to note Nicodemus was basing his statements on outer evidence rather than inner experience--"for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."
___How typical this is today of the world's understanding of who Jesus is. Jesus is presently identified as a "great teacher," as a prophet, even as the son of God, and yet all these confessions, like that of Nicodemus, draw their basis from a historical, rather than an experiential perspective. So, we are reminded once again that mere intellectual assent does not bring one into relationship with the Lord.
___How can a man be
___born when he is old?
___Jesus' response to Nicodemus in verse 3 introduces a concept which has been debated by theologians through the ages. This statement about a second birth is miraculously simple on the one hand and profoundly complex on the other. As unsearchable as the Scriptures themselves, so is this remarkable thought.
___While Nicodemus had spoken accurately of some of Jesus' qualities, the way he dealt with this concept of rebirth demonstrates how shallow his understanding really was. His only point of reference was physical birth, and he missed the fact that Jesus was speaking of something else altogether.
___What we so often fail to note is that Jesus' teaching about new birth is based in Scripture. Ezekiel 36:25-27 describes the process clearly. Expressions like "new heart," "new spirit" and "I will put my spirit within you" all point to this new birth experience.
___As familiar as is the expression "born again," it may not be the best rendering of the language here. "Born from above" seems to better capture its meaning. These words also are preferable in indicating the source of this new life.
___Into what are we born?
___The real question that must be answered is, "Into what are we born?" In natural birth, a child is born into the physical world. In verse 5, Jesus tells us spiritual birth brings one into the kingdom of God.
___The term "kingdom" is but one way to interpret the word Jesus used here. The other word is "reign" and may be the best word for this context, lest we think "kingdom" implies a future reality only. Certainly the kingdom of God will be fully realized in the future, but it is a present reality as well. A person "born from above" is born into the present "reign of God" in earthly life, with the full hope and certainty of kingdom citizenship in the future as well.
___Beyond all the implications of the kingdom, we must realize we also are born into a family relationship. We are born to sonship as sons and daughters of the Father. This great reality caused John to exclaim in his first letter, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God." In a society where family relationships are so fragmented, the privilege of being a bona fide child of God is really good news.
___These are but two of the ways the experience of salvation is described in this passage. Note especially, "see the kingdom of God" (3:3); "born from above" (3:3, 7); "enter the kingdom of God" (3:5); "born of water and spirit" (3:5); "born of the Spirit" (3:6,8); and "have eternal life" (3:15,16).
___Water and spirit?
___What are we to make of Jesus' statement in verse 5--"unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God"? Among the many interpretations, at least one must be noted. Any time water is mentioned in Scripture, many tend to relate it to baptism. Nothing about the context of this passage supports such a view.
___The Ezekiel passage may provide the best illumination (36:25-27). Water is used metaphorically for cleansing throughout Scripture. But Hebrews 9:22 makes it clear that only the shedding of blood can accomplish the forgiveness of sin. The Old Testament sacrifices were forward-looking, as they pointed to the shedding of the blood of the perfect Son of God as the only means by which sin could be washed away. Surely verse 5 of our text is best interpreted simply as "born physically" (of water) and "born spiritually" (of the Spirit). Verse 6 just serves to solidify this interpretation.
___The Spirit and the wind
___Jesus' comparison of the Holy Spirit with the blowing of the wind provides some of our best insight into understanding this third person of the Trinity. "Wind" in this description is a pointed definition of the Spirit as breath. The Greek term for spirit is one that all can understand--"pneuma"--the same word we use to describe things related to air. The words "pneumatic" and "pneumonia" are only two. Why would Jesus here mention the Spirit as "wind"? A.T. Robertson concludes, "Certainly the conclusion 'of the Spirit' is a direct reference to the Holy Spirit who works his own way beyond our comprehension even as men even yet do not know the law of the wind." In laymen's terms, however, we know the wind exists. We feel it. We see the movement of objects that come against it. It is everywhere, and even though we cannot see it, we are certain it is there. So it is with the Holy Spirit.
___Jesus the One and Only
___The title of Beth Moore's study of Jesus also applies to his personal reference to himself in verse 13. His words first seem puzzling until we remember he was the incarnate Son of God. He was simply saying he is the only person here (in this life on Earth) who has ever previously been there (in heavenly glory).
___Remember that at this point he is responding to the question of Nicodemus, "How can these things be?" It serves as an awesome realization to Nicodemus of exactly with whom he is speaking.
___Jesus and a serpent
___Since Nicodemus struggled with both the concepts of new birth and the wind in understanding who Jesus was, the Master now gives him a picture he can certainly grasp.
___He directs his attention to the story of Israel in Numbers 21:4-9 and identifies the brazen serpent at which the people must look or die, as a foretype of his own crucifixion. Those who believed in Moses' instruction enough to look, lived. Those who personally accept the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross also live.
___The gospel in a nutshell
___John 3:16 is far more than a mantra for a believing people. When stripped to its basic statement, the sentence is simply this--"God so loved that he gave." Who he loved, how he loved and why he loved form the very explanation for God taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
___Questions for discussion
___ Discuss how the three metaphors Jesus used with Nicodemus--birth, wind and the serpent--teach us how to relate the gospel in our own witness.
___ What do we learn of the inadequacy of religion alone from Jesus' witness to this highly religious man?
___ How can we best relate new birth in Christ to our very pluralistic culture which believes all religions are heading people in the same direction?
___ In light of Jesus' use of the term "kingdom of God" in this passage, what do we learn about the true mission of the church as an agent or ambassador of the kingdom in our world?
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